Shear wall building assemblies

ABSTRACT

Novel building systems, in particular low cost superior strength building assemblies incorporating single or double shear walls, and disaster resistant window attachments are described herein. The inventive building systems are particularly well-suited for adding rooms to existing buildings, such as attached residential room additions, basements, disaster relief housing, and Do-It Yourself (DIY) projects.

This is a divisional application of Ser. No. 11/356,482, filed Feb. 17,2006, which will issue on Mar. 8, 2011 as U.S. Pat. No. 7,900,411, andwhich is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a novel building systems, inparticular low cost superior strength building assemblies incorporatingsingle or double shear walls. Such systems are particularly well-suitedfor adding rooms to existing buildings, such as attached residentialroom additions and Do-It Yourself (DIY) projects. The inventive buildingsystems are additionally well suited for adding self standing low costoutbuildings, for creating DYI housing shelters for enabling rapiderection of emergency buildings in disaster areas, for use aslightweight substantial military shelters. Another application of theinventive building systems is for use as basic housing in a wide varietyof floor plans for affordable communities and as improved strengthexterior housing structural support shells required as basic housing indeveloping nations. The inventive building systems are also well suitedfor constructing residential basements and other below and above gradesupport structures. In coastal areas and flood plains, the inventivebuilding systems are useful as building support structures that elevatethe buildings above flood levels or act as structural walls that would,with solid, open, cross-braced, or break-away sections, withstandhurricane or tsunami surge effects. A great advantage in the logisticsof disaster recovery, for example, is to provide a structural buildingsystem that is easy to transport and erect quickly. The nesting profileshapes of the inventive structures enable many units to be stored in asmall space prior to deployment, is a great advantage in the logisticsof disaster recovery. The ability to assemble a hurricane wind resistantshell or earthquake resistant shell quickly, with little to no training,with simple tools, and at a low cost in a disaster aftermath alsoaffords a superior benefit to the recovery efforts. Enabling homes forthose who would normally not be able to afford them is an advance on theexisting building methods. Using this inventive building system enablesall of the above benefits.

In disaster zones, double shear wall construction pursuant to certainaspects of the present invention can be used to provide safe roomsagainst wind, fire, flying debris, attacks, or military ordinance. Incombat zones, the inventive system can be quickly assembled using doubleshear wall construction separated by a space that can then be filledwith bullet proof loose fill, such as sand, for example, or compoundedmaterials such as reinforced concrete or resin bonded aggregate. Furtherfeatures of the inventive building systems include the ability of thesystem to form a wide variety of exterior window and door layouts, doorlayouts in interior walls, and a wide variety of interior wall floorplan arrangements to be created without the use of additional parts. Anydesired layout, fenestration, and access/egress can be created as thestructure is being pieced together. Novel features of the inventivebuilding systems include the method construction and profiles of thewindow and door openings that allow a wide variety of window types,sizes, and thicknesses to be easily accommodated into position utilizinga male/female interlock that is stronger and more resistant tohurricanes and tornados at lower cost than the current fenestrationsavailable. Basic fenestrations of the inventive system do not rely onmechanical or adhesive fasteners to secure the window to the frame.While achieving superior attachment strength the window constructionsare able to easily remove or replace damaged windows using ordinary handtools. Another novel feature of the door and window systems is thatnewly developed high impact fenestration designs for hurricane resistantwindows can also be integrated into the building exterior frame quicklyand at a low cost without using mechanical or adhesive fasteners tosecure the window within the framing. Security from outside entry ismaintained in all the inventive designed fenestrations, yet incorporateswith the ability to easily replace or repair the windows from theinside. This novel feature is not only applicable to the existinginventive structure but certain aspects of it are applicable to framingand walls made of wood, steel, concrete block, or cast concrete as well,thereby enabling those constructions to benefit from this novel featurewhile creating lower cost simply designed window installations to beused with, improved security, and easier servicing.

Another unique feature of the present invention is that the variousstructural parts, when formed of composite materials, are relativelylight weight, very high strength, and are configured to allow densestacking to enable condensed shipping of up to twenty small houses in astandard container, for example.

Specifically, in certain aspects, the present invention is directed to ashear wall building system comprising at least four corner posts, eachof the posts arranged about a floor pad and each having a top end and abottom end. Each of the corner posts further has a longitudinal outerbody comprising four corners, the corners including (i) a pair ofdiagonally opposing corners; (ii) an outer most exterior cornerpositioned between the diagonally opposing corners, and (iii) an innermost corner located diagonally opposite the outer most exterior cornerand between said pair of diagonally opposing corners. At least one ofthe corner posts has a hollow interior which may have housed therein afill material (e.g. sand, grout, resin bonded aggregate, concrete, andany other material suitable for sound attenuation or thermalinsulation).

The wall assembly further includes (a) a pair of exterior shear wallsheets secured to each of the corner posts, each of the shear wallsheets having a first outer edge secured to one of the diagonallyopposing corners of one of the corner posts, each of the pair ofexterior shear wall sheets oriented perpendicular to one another; and(b) a pair of interior shear wall sheets secured to each of the cornerposts, each of the interior shear wall sheets having a first outer edgesecured to the inner most corner of one of the corner posts, such thateach of the pair of interior wall sheets are oriented perpendicular toone another and parallel to an immediately adjacent exterior shear wallsheet. More specifically, the diagonally opposing corners of each of thecorner posts may include at least one longitudinal indentation extendingfrom the top end to the bottom end of the corner post, the indentationconfigured to engage the outer edge of the exterior shear wall sheet. Inaddition, the inner most corner of each of the corner posts may includeat least one longitudinal indentation extending from the top end to thebottom end of the corner posts, such that the interior indentation isaligned with and runs parallel to an adjacent longitudinal indentationof one of the exterior diagonally opposing corners.

The shear wall building system of the present invention further includesone or more longitudinal sill plates having opposite ends secured toadjacent corner posts along the floor pad; one or more shear wallconnecting studs secured within each of the sill plates and positioned adistance from an adjacent corner post; and at least one horizontal topplate secured to the top ends of the studs and corner posts. Theinterior and exterior shear wall sheets each further have a second outerside edge secured to one of the shear wall connecting studs.

Certain embodiments of the connecting studs of the present inventioneach have an interior flange and an exterior flange, with the inventivebuilding system further including (a) an interior non-shear wall sheetadjacent the interior shear wall sheet and secured to the interiorflange of the connecting stud and the corner post; (b) an exteriornon-shear wall sheet adjacent the exterior shear wall sheet and securedto the exterior flange of the connecting stud and the corner post; and(c) air spaces created between the exterior shear wall sheet and theexterior non-shear wall sheets and between the interior shear wallsheets and the interior non-shear wall sheets.

The shear wall building assembly may further include a quantity ofinsulation housed between the exterior and interior shear wall sheetsand positioned such that a first air space is created between theinterior shear wall sheet and insulation and a second air space iscreated between the exterior shear wall sheet and insulation.

The inventive building system thus described may further include atleast one T-post secured to the sill plate and positioned adjacent tothe stud or corner post, the T-post having a top end and a bottom endand two exterior longitudinal indentations extending from the top andbottom ends of the T-post, the exterior indentations oriented adjacentto one another and each configured to receive an outer edge of one ofthe exterior sheer wall sheets, the T-post further including twointerior indentations adjacent to one another and each configured toreceive an outer edge of one of the interior shear wall sheets and asecond interior wall sheets, wherein the second interior wall sheet isoriented perpendicular to the interior shear wall sheet within theinterior indentation. In certain embodiments, the T-post may have ahollow interior housing a fill material (e.g. sand, grout, resin bondedaggregate, concrete and other materials suitable for sound attenuationor thermal insulation).

When T-posts are employed, an interior non-shear wall sheet may besecured to the interior flange of the connecting stud and the T-post andexterior non-shear wall sheet may be secured to the exterior flange ofthe connecting stud and the T-post, with air spaces created between airspaces created between the exterior shear wall sheet and the exteriornon-shear wall sheets and between the interior shear wall sheets and theinterior non-shear wall sheets.

The bottom ends of each of the corner posts of the shear wall buildingsystem are preferably engaged within a footing submerged within theground below the floor pad, the footing being further filled with acement material. Specifically, the footing may comprise a base and anelongated tube extending from the base, with the corner post beingsecured within the tube and the base and tube being filled with acement-containing material.

Other aspects of the present invention include a shear wall panel foruse in building construction. The shear wall panel includes a pair ofconnecting studs, each of the studs having a top end, a bottom end, anexterior end, and an interior end, the exterior and interior ends havingat least one longitudinal channel extending from the top end to thebottom end of the stud. The shear wall panel includes exterior andinterior wall sheets, the exterior shear wall sheet having outer sideedges, each of the outer side edges engaged in one of the exteriorlongitudinal channels of one of the studs. The interior shear wall sheetalso includes outer side edges, each of outer side edges engaged in oneof the interior longitudinal channels of one of the studs. The panelalso includes a fill material housed between the interior and exteriorshear wall sheets. The fill material may include any material suitablefor thermal insulation and sound attenuation, sand, cement bondedaggregate, resin bonded aggregate, and soil. In other embodiments of theinventive shear wall panel, the fill material may be positioned betweenthe interior and interior shear wall sheets to create a first air spacebetween the interior shear wall sheet and fill material and a second airspace between the exterior shear wall sheet and fill material. Incertain embodiments, the fill material may comprise a block of expandedpolystyrene prills (EPS) encased between the shear wall sheets.

The shear wall panel may further include (a) an interior non-shear wallsheet adjacent the interior shear wall sheet and secured to interiorflanges of adjacent connecting studs; (b) an exterior non-shear wallsheet adjacent the exterior shear wall sheet and secured to exteriorflanges of adjacent connecting studs; and (c) air spaces created betweenthe exterior shear wall sheets and exterior non-shear wall sheets andbetween the interior shear wall sheets and interior non-shear wallsheets.

The exterior and interior ends of each pair of connecting studs of theinventive shear wall panel may further comprise one or more oflongitudinal channels extending from the top end to the bottom end ofthe studs, each pair of channels configured to receive an outer sideedge of a sheer wall sheet. In addition, the exterior end of each of theconnecting studs may include an exterior flange and at least oneintermediate flange extending from a central web portion of the stud toform the exterior longitudinal channel, the interior end of each of theconnecting studs including an interior flange and at least oneintermediate flange extending from the web portion to form the interiorlongitudinal channel. The exterior end of each of the connecting studsmay further include one or more intermediate flanges extending from thecentral web portion to create a pair of exterior longitudinal channels,each channel configured to receive an outer edge of a shear wall sheet,and wherein the interior end of each of the connecting studs includes apair of intermediate flanges extending from the central web portion tocreate a pair of interior longitudinal channels, each of the interiorchannels configured to receive an outer edge of a shear wall sheet.

The present invention is also directed to novel window fenestrationassemblies that may be incorporated within the inventive buildingsystems described herein or in other conventional building systems. Incertain aspects of the present invention, the window fenestrationassembly comprises (a) a top horizontal member and a bottom horizontalmember each secured to a pair of vertical members and (b) a windowassembly comprising a window surrounded and encased by a frame. Thebottom horizontal member further comprises a pair of interior andexterior flanges secured to one another by a central web portion, theweb portion comprising a top surface and a lower surface, the topsurface, in combination with the flanges, forming a female receptaclefor the window frame. In addition, the bottom horizontal member may alsoinclude a pair of intermediate flanges extending downward from the lowersurface of the web portion and oriented with respect to the interior andexterior flanges to create a pair of interior and exterior indentations,each of the indentations configured to receive an underlying shear wallsheet therein. The fenestration assembly includes one or more padspositioned upon the top surface of the web portion and upon the pair ofvertical members, the window assembly positioned against the pads. Thefenestration assembly includes at least one chamber formed between oneof the stud flanges and the window frame along the bottom horizontalmember. A jamb is further provided to enclose the chamber. Thefenestration assembly further includes at least one fill strip housedwithin the chamber(s) and may also include a quantity of loose fillmaterial (e.g. of fiberglass, mineral wool, and foam insulation)dispersed within gaps created between adjacent pads and between thewindow frame and the horizontal and vertical members of the windowfenestration assembly.

Other embodiments of the inventive window fenestration assembly include(a) a top horizontal member and a bottom horizontal member each securedto a pair of vertical members and (b) an elongated female C-channelmember secured to an upper surface of the bottom horizontal member, withthe bottom horizontal member further comprising a pair of interior andexterior flanges secured to one another by a central web portion, theflanges and web portion, in combination, comprising a mating surface forthe female C-channel member. The female C-channel member furthercomprises a first upwardly extending channel and a second downwardlyextending channel mating with the first channel. This second embodimentof the inventive window fenestration assembly also includes (a) one ormore pads positioned within the first channel of the female C-channelmember and upon the pair of vertical members, the window assemblypositioned against the pads and (b) a chamber created between the uppersurface and exterior flange of the bottom horizontal member and thefirst channel of the C-channel member. The fenestration assemblyincludes at least one fill strip housed within the chamber and may alsoinclude quantity of loose fill material (e.g. of fiberglass, mineralwool, and foam insulation) dispersed within gaps created betweenadjacent pads and between the window frame and the top horizontalmember, vertical members, and C-channel member of the windowfenestration assembly.

Alternatively, another embodiment of the inventive window fenestrationassembly comprises a top horizontal member and a bottom horizontalmember each secured to a pair of vertical members. Each of thehorizontal and vertical members further include a pair of interior andexterior flanges secured to one another by a central web portion,thereby creating an interior female receptacle and an exterior femalereceptacle. The window fenestration assembly includes a window assemblycomprising a window surrounded and encased by a frame, the windowassembly engaged within the interior female receptacle of the horizontaland vertical members. The vertical and horizontal members are furthersecured to edges of a solid wall that forms the opening for the windowfenestration assembly, wherein the edges of the solid wall are engagedwithin the exterior female receptacles of the horizontal and verticalmembers. One or more pads are positioned within the interior receptaclesof the horizontal and vertical members, wherein the window assembly ispositioned against the pads. The fenestration assembly includes at leastone chamber formed between one of the stud flanges and the window framealong the bottom horizontal member. A jamb is further provided toenclose the chamber. The fenestration assembly further includes at leastone fill strip housed within the chamber(s) and may also include aquantity of loose fill material dispersed within gaps created betweenadjacent pads and between the window frame and horizontal and verticalmembers of the window fenestration assembly. The solid wall to whichthis embodiment of the fenestration assembly may be secured includessolid pre-cast concrete slabs, hollow concrete blocks, structuralinsulated panels, and skeletal support walls.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the corner post of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a T-post of the present invention usedto create the junction for interior walls or structural supportingwalls.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the shear wallconnecting studs of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a slightly modified version of the studshown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the shear wallconnecting studs of the present invention.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a slightly modified version of the studshown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the exterior sill plate secured to atemporary form with stakes to secure the form to the ground prior to theconcrete pour. The exterior sill plate is attached to the form andimbeds the concrete when fabricating the underlying floor pad of thebuilding.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the four corner posts engaged within afooting mechanism and exterior sill plates attached to the corner posts.

FIG. 7 is a top sectional view of a corner section of the building,illustrating interior and exterior shear wall sheets secured to a cornerpost and two types of shear wall connecting studs.

FIG. 8 is a top sectional view of an inner section of the building,illustrating interior and exterior shear wall sheet secured to a T-postand shear wall connecting studs.

FIG. 8A is perspective view of a section of the assembled buildingshowing the shear wall sheets seated within sill plates of the presentinvention.

FIG. 8B is perspective view of a section of the assembled buildingsimilar to that shown in FIG. 8A, but instead showing the shear wallsheets seated within simple C-channel plates of the present invention.

FIG. 8C is a perspective view of a corner section of the assembledbuilding showing the shear wall sheets seated within both a sill plateof the present invention and a simple C-channel plate.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the assembled building per the presentinvention, illustrating a window opening and the wall assemblies aboveand below the opening.

FIG. 10A is a top sectional view of a shear wall panel section of thepresent invention.

FIG. 10B is a top sectional view of a second shear wall panel section ofthe present invention.

FIG. 10C is a perspective view of the shear wall panel similar to thatshown in FIG. 10A, wherein the insulation material is a block ofexpanded polystyrene prills (EPS) in phantom.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of one embodiment of the surrounding windowopening frame section of the inventive building design showing a novelwindow frame housing assembly.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a second embodiment of the surroundingwindow opening frame section of the inventive building design showing asecond novel window frame housing assembly.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of the surroundingwindow opening frame section that may be used in lieu of the windowframe housing assembly shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 13A is a sectional view of fourth embodiment of the surroundingwindow opening frame section wherein the underlying wall section is asolid structural insulated panel (SIP) formed of wood, pre-cast concreteslab, or hollow concrete block(s).

FIG. 14 is a partial perspective view of the window frame housingassembly illustrated in FIG. 13 fixed on top of a second embodiment ofthe inventive connecting stud.

FIG. 15 is a side view of FIG. 6, showing two of the footings submergedbeneath the ground.

FIG. 16 is a top view of a building layout using the inventive shearwalls and connecting studs, wherein two sets of double shear walls arearranged to form an inner room, with the space created between the twosets of walls containing a fill material suitable for providing addedstrength.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the figures, the present invention is directed in partto an easy to assemble building system that incorporates novelstructural stud designs and corner post designs in the assembly of theshear wall panels forming the building system. As shown in FIGS. 1, 6,and 7, the inventive building system comprises at least four cornerposts 11 arranged about a concrete floor pad F. As shown in the figures,the corner posts are preferably submerged underground beneath the floorpad within footings 30, as discussed in greater detail below withrespect to the method of assembling the components of the inventivebuilding assembly. The corner posts preferably have a hollow interior 19which may be subsequently filled with a fill material suitable for soundattenuation, thermal insulation, fire proofing, or increased loadstrength. Exemplary materials include, but are not limited to, concrete,grout, sand, dirt, fiberglass, foam insulation, mineral wool, and thelike.

Each corner post 11 has a pair of diagonally opposing corners which arepreferably longitudinal L-shaped indentations 17, as best shown in FIGS.1 and 7. These corners 17 are configured to engage the outer edges of anexterior wall sheet, preferably an exterior shear wall sheet 60 as shownin FIGS. 7 and 8C. The wall sheet may be fastened to the corner from theoutside via adhesives and/or screws 9, as shown. The corner post alsoincludes an outer-most corner 13 and an inner most corner 15 locateddiagonally opposite the outer corner 13, as shown. Preferably, theinner-most corner 15 comprises at least one L-shaped indentation 15 asimilar to the adjacent indentations 17. The inner indentations 15 a areconfigured to engage the outer edges of an interior wall sheet 62,preferably a shear wall sheet. As shown best in FIGS. 7 and 8C, theinterior wall sheets 62 are oriented perpendicular to one another andparallel to an immediately adjacent exterior wall sheet 60.

The opposite outside edges of the interior and exterior shear wallsheets are secured to a wall connecting stud 40, as shown in FIGS. 7 and8C. In a preferred embodiment, the stud 40 includes a top end 40 a and abottom end 40 b as well as an exterior end comprising an exterior flange44 and an interior end comprising an interior flange 42 (FIGS. 3-3A).Each of the ends has a longitudinal channel 45, 47, each channel definedby the exterior 44 and interior 42 flanges in combination withintermediate flanges 43, 41 (FIG. 3) extending from a central webportion 49 of the stud, as shown.

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the stud wherein channels 45, 47extend on each side of the web portion 49 in order to accommodate shearwall sheets on each side of the web portion 49. The stud 40 ¹ shown inFIG. 3A is similar to that shown in FIG. 3, except the intermediateflanges 43 ¹, 41 ¹ are much smaller. The remaining components of thestud (i.e. channel 45 ¹, 47 ¹, top and bottom ends 40 ¹ a, 40 ¹ b,flanges 42 ¹, 44 ¹ and web portion 49 ¹) remain the same. FIG. 4illustrates another stud embodiment 50, also having top 50 a and bottomends 50 b as well as exterior 54 and interior 52 flanges. Unlike thestud 40, the stud 50 only has intermediate flanges 53 extending from oneside of the web portion 59 to form channels 55, 57. The stud 50 ¹ shownin FIG. 4A is similar to the stud 50 design shown in FIG. 4, except theintermediate flanges 53 ¹ are much smaller (the remaining components ofthe stud-channel 55 ¹, 57 ¹, top and bottom ends 50 ¹ a, 50 ¹ b, flanges52 ¹, 54 ¹ and web portion 59 ¹) remain the same. These latterembodiments (i.e. stud designs shown in FIGS. 4-4A) is preferred forforming the jamb surrounding a door way or window opening of theframing, with the flanges 53, 53 ¹ oriented toward the shear wallpanels, and the side of the web portion 49 without intermediate flanges53, 53 ¹ being oriented toward the interior of the rough opening of thewindow or door way. In both stud embodiments, the side edge of a shearwall sheet is engaged within the channels 45, 47, 55, 57.

As discussed in more detail below, the wall connecting studs 40, 50 aresecured within a sill plate 70 or a C-channel bottom plate 86 b that iseither fastened to or embedded within the floor pad F. For ease ofexplanation, the remaining discussion will refer to the use of a sillplate. Consequently, “sill plate,” as used herein, shall mean andinclude the designs illustrated herein, in the Inventor's Co-PendingApplications (as later defined herein), the C-channel bottom plates 86 bshown herein and in the Inventor's Co-Pending Applications, as well asother conventional sill plates now known or later developed. Forexample, while FIG. 8C shows both the employment of the inventive sillplate 70 and C-channel bottom plate 86 b, either or both (as shown)types of plates 70, 86 b may be employed for the two corner wallsections shown.

To frame out an interior room or to create a structural support wall ofa building, a T-shaped wall joining post 21 (hereinafter referred to as“T-post”) is employed, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, for example. A sectionis cut out of the interior wall 74 of the sill plate 70, and a C-channelbottom plate 86 b is fixed to the floor pad F, mating with the sillplate 70 to accommodate the interior portion 22 of T-post 21 (see FIG.15). The T-post 21 is positioned adjacent a shear wall connecting stud40, 50 as shown in FIGS. 8, 8A, and 15, or adjacent a corner post (FIG.8C). Like the corner post 11, the T-post 21 has a top end 26, a bottomend 27, and two exterior longitudinal L-shaped indentations 25 aextending the length of the post (i.e. from the top end 26 to the bottomend 28). The exterior indentations are oriented adjacent to one anotherand are each configured to receive an outer edge of an exterior wallsheet 60, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 8A. The T-post 21 further includes twointerior indentations 23 a adjacent to one another, each configured toreceive an outer edge of an interior shear wall sheet 62 (runningparallel to an opposite exterior wall sheet 60 as best shown in FIGS. 8and 15) as well as a second interior wall sheet 64, preferably a shearwall sheet, running perpendicular to the interior shear wall sheet 62 toform the structural attachment from the interior wall to the exteriorwall and to divide one or more interior rooms, referenced generally at Rin FIG. 8.

The space 98 between adjacent shear walls in the building system (seeFIGS. 7-8) may remain hollow or be filled with a solid or packagedinsulation material I as shown in FIG. 10A. The space 98 may also befilled with soil, sand, cement bonded aggregates, resin bondedaggregates, or other materials X suitable for thermal insulation, soundattenuation, increased load strength, and/or fire proofing, as shown inFIG. 10B. Similarly, the interior 27 of the T-posts 21 and interior 19of the corner posts 11 may be filled with similar fill materials asdesired for thermal insulation, sound attenuation, increased loadstrength, and/or fire proofing. Exemplary materials include, but are notlimited to, various aggregate materials, such as sand, small rocks;various insulation materials such as closed cell and open cell foam,rock wool, expanded polystyrene prills (EPS) or fiberglass; mixtures ofresin binders such as polyurethane, phenolic, polyester, sodiumsilicate, and the like, bonded with sand or other aggregate material;various cement mortar mixtures, cement concrete, and bonded flowablefills such as cement or resin bonded waste materials such as fly ash,slag, or other waste material residues. In one embodiment, as shown inFIG. 10C, the use of EPS blocks I¹ (shown in part in phantom lines)between the studs 40 and shear panels 60, 62 replaces structuralinsulated panels (SIPS) commonly used in the prior art. Typical SIPpanels comprise an EPS block coated with an adhesive on both sides,after which the shear panels are applied and the sandwiched panel isstacked and pressed until the adhesive is cured. In the presentinvention, as shown in FIG. 10C, the adhesives, coating, tacking,pressing, and curing are eliminated by encasing the EPS block I¹ withinthe shear panels 60, 62, the top plate 86 a, panel stud interlocks asdescribed in the Inventor's Co-Pending Applications as defined below,and studs 40 (or T-posts) that are mechanically or adhesively fastenedto the edges of the shear panels, thereby effectively encapsulating andcontaining the insulating EPS between the shear panels.

These same fill materials may also be used to fill the hollow interiors19, 27 of the corner posts and T-posts, or spaces 2 where the doubleshear walls 60, 62 may be used as one set of shear sheets (see FIGS.7-8) or built as two parallel walls 1 ¹, 2 ¹ containing two sets ofshear wall sheets 60, 62 separated by a space Y between the two parallelwalls to provide safe havens for category 5+ storms, safe rooms, orbullet resistant rooms in combat areas, for example, as illustrated inFIG. 16. As shown in FIG. 16, the building B comprises an interior roomR¹ with an entrance way leading into the room referenced generally at O.

The corner posts 11, T-posts 21, and shear wall connecting studs 40, 50are all preferably composite pultrusions, the composite materials thatmay be employed being those described in the present inventor'sco-pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/116,769 (filed Apr. 28,2005) and 11/249,650 (filed Oct. 13, 2005), both of which areincorporated by reference herein in their entireties and collectivelyreferred to herein as “Inventor's Co-Pending Applications.” Similarly,the shear wall sheets may be formed of any material commonly used in thebuilding construction industry suitable for use in fabricating shearwalls, including, but not limited to, concrete board, plywood, OrientedStrand Board (OSB), Hardi Board, cementitious boards, backer boards,Masonite boards, fiberglass boards, gypsum boards, ceramic boards,MgO/MgCl DRAGONBOARD (manufactured by Pioneer Building Products ofTaishan, Ltd., Guangdong, China; distributed by Fairmount Distributors,Jersey City, N.J.), fiberglass reinforced plaster boards, metal cladboards and boards fabricated from adhered layers of metals, sheetedcloth, woven fibers, insulation, wood, or similar sheeted materials. Thepreferred shear panel material is DRAGONBOARD. For increased penetrationresistance, bonded fabrics of Aramid (Kevlar), fiberglass, carbon fiber,basalt, and special purpose exotic materials and the like which may becombined with organic and inorganic materials as part of a resistivebarrier wall assembly designed to resist category 5 storms, tornadoes,earthquakes, or bullets, for example, or per pursuant to otherregulatory ordinances.

The building system of the present invention is particularly well-suitedfor easily adding rooms to existing buildings, such as residentialhomes, as do-it-yourself (DIY) projects, as well as for adding low costoutbuildings, creating affordable homes for use in developing nations,enabling rapid erection of emergency buildings in disaster areas, andfor use as lightweight substantial military shelters, for example. Apreferred method of assembly is described below with respect to afour-sided building. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skillin the art that buildings having different floor plan configurations maybe assembled using the structural components described and illustratedherein. In addition, the studs 40, 50 of the inventive building systemcan be used as roof supports in hurricane resistive roof structures

As discussed above, the corner posts may be fastened directly to anunderlying concrete floor pad F, such as that described in theInventor's Co-Pending Applications, or as shown in FIGS. 6 and 15, thecorner post may be maintained within footings 30 that are submergedwithin holes dug into the ground. Each footing comprises a base 32 thatis placed within a hole approximately 4 feet (i.e. 1.25 m) deep (orsufficiently deep so as to be below the frost line in the zone where thestructure is being built) and an elongated tube 34 that extends abovethe base as shown, but still approximately 1 foot (i.e. 0.3 m) below theground level G. The tube 34 is preferably fabricated of a cardboardmaterial; however, other light-weight materials may be employed instead,such as plastic piping Once the footings 30 are all placed within theirrespective holes, concrete is poured into the tube 34 to fill the tube34 and base 32. [Concrete or any other cement-containing material may beused; however, for ease of explanation, the remaining discussion willrefer to concrete.] The base 32 may alternatively be formed from a woodbox or bag of cloth (not shown) sufficiently strong to retain theconcrete. An inverted footing 30 may be used as a funnel to facilitatethe concrete pour into the submerged footing 30. A corner post 11 isthen inserted through the tube 34 and into the concrete in the footing,the corner post 11 then consequently being held in place by theconcrete. The holes containing the footings/corner posts are thenbackfilled with dirt, and the corner posts adjusted to a plumb verticalposition locating the corner or angle of the structure being built.Exemplary footings are the bell-shaped pre-molded concrete constructionfooting forms vended by Bigfoot Systems, Inc. (Nova Scotia, Canada).

As illustrated in FIG. 6, for example, sill plates 70 are arranged aboutthe corner posts and cut at each end at 45 degrees and in a pattern tofit the corner posts. [Alternatively, C-channel bottom plates 86 b maybe employed instead of the inventive sill plates 70, as shown in FIG.8C, for example; however, for ease of explanation, the remainingdiscussion will be with respect to the sill plates 70, the phrase “sillplate” including c-channel bottom plates, as discussed above].Preferably, the sill plates 70 are initially secured to a temporarylumber form 99 defining the perimeter outline of the floor pad to befilled with concrete, such forms laid out as a 2 inch×4 inch lumberform, as shown in FIG. 5. The combination sill plate/form is secured tothe underlying ground using stakes S, as best shown in FIG. 5, such thatthe stake side of the form faces the outside of the building and thethree underlying angled plates 73 face the inside of the building. Priorto the concrete pour, re-enforced steel rebar or mesh (not shown) may belaid down between the sill plates 70, as is generally done infabricating concrete foundations in conventional building construction.When the concrete is poured, the concrete runs and is hand rammed underthe angled plates 73 and against the back wall plate 71 of the sillplate, thereby embedding the sill plate within the concrete foundationas the concrete hardens.

In areas where concrete is not available after disasters or indeveloping nations, a similar floor could be made of asphalt, clay,dirt, stones, sand, or of compacted materials from the region that maytypically be used in fabricating interior floors. The lumber form 99 andstakes S may be removed, leaving the long outside edge 76 of the sillplate exposed, the outside edge 76 functioning to deflect rain water andinsects, similar to the sill plate embodiment described in theInventor's Co-Pending Applications.

Next, interior shear wall sheets 62 and exterior shear wall sheets 60are placed inside the sill plate 70 as shown in FIG. 7, with theexterior sheet 60 abutting the front wall 74 of the sill plate and theinterior sheet 62 on sheet abutting the back wall 76 of the sill plate.The edges of the sheets closest to the adjacent corner post may then bemechanically and/or adhesively secured within the interior indentations15 a, 15 b of the corner post 11. The top view of FIG. 7 shows best thealignment of respective shear wall sheets within a corner post. Theopposite edges of the shear wall sheets are engaged within thecorresponding longitudinal channels 45, 47 of the connecting stud 40, asillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 7. Additional interior and exterior shearwall sheets are secured within the adjacent longitudinal channels 45, 47of the stud 40, as shown in FIG. 7. The edge of the shear wall sheetsmay then be mechanically and/or adhesively secured to the exteriorflanges 42, 44, as shown, using adhesives, screws or other suitablefasteners typically used in the art. When the application of thisinventive system is used as an above ground support to elevate thebuilding above potential flood plains as may be found in coastal areas,sections of the double shear wall structural sheeting can be replacedwith gypsum board or other non-structural sheeting or cross buck shearwall design to provide areas where flood or surge water can break awaythose non-structural sections or flow out through openings in the crossbucks, thereby relieving pressure on the entire structure. Suchbreak-away sections relieve the water pressures without altering theability of the structure to support the building above while stillproviding shear strength, preventing side-to-side racking of the supportstructure and still provide paths for the water to drain out as thewater level recedes.

This progression of securing interior 62 and exterior 60 shear wallsheets within the underlying sill plate(s) and to adjacent connectingstuds 40 continues up to a first window opening W (see FIG. 9) or dooropening (not shown). Here, the connecting stud 50 shown in FIGS. 4, 4Ais used to form the vertical side edges 92 of the window or dooropening. Preferably, the connecting stud 50 is cut to a desired lengthin order to form the horizontal top edge 90 and horizontal bottom 91edge of the window opening W (FIG. 9). Preferably, before inserting thestud 50 to form the bottom edge 91, conventional insulation or desiredfill material is first added into the lower wall section 97 of theframing as may also be done to the wall section above the rough openingprior to affixing the top plate 86 a. Alternatively, C-channels may becut and affixed to the vertical studs 50 into which horizontal studs 50,83, or 93 may be inserted, as shown in FIG. 14. Interior and exteriorshear wall sheets as well as connecting studs 40 are likewise cut to adesired width in order to accommodate the location of the windowopening, as shown in FIG. 9. An exterior strip of wood or polyester (notshown) may be applied to the channels formed between the web portionsand flanges of studs 50 lining the four inside edges 90, 91, 92 of thewindow opening to create a nailing buck for attachment of windows ordoors supplied and fit conventionally by others.

Another aspect of the inventive building system is the ability toinstall windows and doors without using mechanical fasteners oradhesives to secure the window or door into the rough opening. FIG. 11illustrates a sectional view of a window opening, wherein the window W¹is installed, and illustrates how the top edges of the exterior andinterior shear wall sheets 60, 62 may be engaged within the channels 55,57 of the stud 50 ¹ used to frame out the lower edge 91 of the windowopening W (studs 50 and 50 ¹ are identical, except stud 50 ¹ isreferenced accordingly to indicated that it is positioned on the loweredge 91 of the fenestration). A narrow C-channel frame 85, such as thatshown in FIG. 11, is attached to a plate glass or insulated window W¹with adhesive to serve as a frame surrounding and encasing the one pieceglass window W¹ and to serve as a male channel inserted into a femalechannel created between fill strips 3, 4 upon stud 50 ¹, with fill strip3 positioned on the exterior side of the window and fill strip 4positioned on the interior side. The preferred C-channels 85 for framingthe window are made from a high strength pultrusion containing 70% to85% fiberglass content in order to have a nearly identical expansion andcontraction coefficient as the plate glass of the window W¹. Fill strips3, 4 may be of different sizes depending upon the thickness of thewindow frame 85 and are preferably formed of plastic, wood, or othertypes of wood replacement materials that are insect resistant,water-proof, and UV light stable. In the preferred embodiment, theexterior fill strip 3 is adhesively attached to stud 50 ¹, lining theexterior perimeter of window opening W. At least one expansion pad 96 ispositioned upon the web portion 59 of the stud 50 ¹, after which thewindow W¹ is inserted into the rough opening W and onto the pads 96, andfurther engaged within the studs 50 forming the vertical edges 92 of thewindow opening W. The expansion pads 96 may also be placed along thesides of the window opening between the frame 85 and studs 50 formingthe vertical edges 92 of the window opening W (not shown). The expansionpads 96 are preferably formed of rubber or similar elastomeric materialfor the purpose of relieving expansion and contraction stresses in thewindow that occur from day-to-day and season-to-season. Preferably, twoor more pads 96 (about ⅛ to ½ inch thick and about 2 to 3 inches wide,for example) are placed below the window frame 85 along the web portion59 of the lower stud 50 ¹ and spaced about every 16 inches. A quantityof fill material (not shown), including but not limited to, fiberglass,mineral wool, and foam insulation, may be added to surround the windowframe 85 and prevent air passage. Specifically, the fill material fillsin the gaps created between the window assembly and the studs 50 framingthe window opening W as well as the gaps between adjacent expansion pads96. An interior fill strip 4 is then fitted into the interior chamber ofthe horizontal stud 50 ¹ (FIG. 11), and both the interior and exteriorfill strips 3,4 are capped with finishing jambs 94, 95 which are securedupon the exterior 50 b and interior 50 a flanges of the stud and inturn, are mechanically fastened to studs 50 50 ¹ surrounding the windowat edges 91, 92. The window W¹ does not need to be fastened by anyadhesive or mechanical fastener, yet it is securely locked into positionbetween fill strips 3, 4 and can be easily repaired if damaged byremoving the interior jamb 95 or exterior jamb 94 and fill strips 3,4.Thus, a window W of any thickness may be mounted within fenestrationassembly formed by jambs 94, 95 and horizontal stud 50 ¹ to create anovel window frame housing assembly. Caulking C or similar packingmaterial is added to tightly seal the window frame 85 against theelements and to prevent air leakage. The interior 95 and exterior 94window jambs may be selected from weather proof board (e.g. polyester,composite, marble, or wood) (not shown), if desired, and insulation orfill material may be placed within the any gaps between the pads, windowjambs, and studs 50, 50 ¹.

FIG. 12 is a sectional end view of another window fenestration designwherein exterior and interior shear wall sheets are not employed on thewall section 97 beneath the window opening W. Instead, the structure ofthe wall (referenced generally as 97 a) may be a solid block of expandedpolystyrene (EPS), solid pre-cast concrete slab, hollow concreteblock(s), or chamotte (clay/straw mixture), forming a structuralinsulated panel (SIP). Alternatively, the wall 97 a beneath the windowopening W may be comprised of a solid panel or other solidly filledmaterial, or it may be comprised of a skeletal structure of steel, wood,or composites (insulated or unfilled) (see FIGS. 12 and 13A), or acombination of both within a single wall. Another difference between thefenestration illustrated in FIG. 11 is that instead of connecting stud50 being employed horizontally or vertically to form the edges 90, 91,92 of the window opening, a simple I-stud 93 of the appropriate lengthis used to cap the wall structure. Alternatively, the I-stud 93 may besecured to adjacent I-beam studs 93 ¹, as shown in FIG. 14, instead ofstud 50, since exterior and interior shear wall sheets are not used inthis particular, and more universally applied, window fenestrations. Asshown in FIGS. 12, 13, 13A, and 14, one of three differentspecially-designed C-channel members 81, 83, 84 may be used to form thehorizontal edges 90, 91 and vertical edges 92 of the rough windowopening W. [In FIGS. 12, 13, and 13A, only the lower horizontal edge 91profile is shown.] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 12, 13, and 14, thespecially designed C-channel members 81, 83 are further configured tosecurely engage the underlying I-stud 93 or solid wall SIP structure 97a, as discussed above, and the window assembly. The embodiment shown inFIG. 13A is most suited for engaging an underlying solid wall or SIPstructure 97 a. In this embodiment, the C-channel member 84 comprises aninterior female receptacle 84 a and an exterior female receptacle 84 b,with the exterior female receptacle 84 b configured to engage the outeredge of the solid wall 97 a, for example, and the interior femalereceptacle 84 a configured to engage and totally surround the windowassembly W¹, W² within the window opening W. In all of the embodimentsshown in FIGS. 12, 13, 13A, and 14, exterior fill strips 3 and expansionpads 96 may also be used (see FIG. 12). Finally, the fenestration designshown in FIG. 12, for example, is especially well-suited for the windowassembly W² shown in FIG. 12, which is comprised of a screen 8 ¹ and apair of vertically sliding glass panels 8 surrounded by a window framecasing 85 ¹.

It will be readily recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art thatthe window assemblies W¹, W² illustrated in FIGS. 11-12, as well as anyother window assembly designs now known or later developed in the art,may be employed with any of the window fenestration embodiments of thepresent invention illustrated in FIGS. 11-13, 13A, and 14. Moreover, inFIG. 11, the chambers (which are shown in FIG. 11 with fill strips 3, 4)may be of different widths, depending upon the location of the windowassembly upon the stud 50 ¹. Similarly, the window assembly shown inFIG. 13 may also be moved anywhere upon the stud 83 in order createchambers 94 a, 94 b of varying widths (for ease of illustration, thechambers 94 a, 94 b shown in FIGS. 13-13A do not contain fill strips orshow screws penetrating therethrough). In all of the window fenestrationembodiments, the window assembly may be positioned flush against theinner surface of the interior flange 50 a, 83 b, 84 b, of the bottomstud 50 ¹, 83, 84, thereby creating only one exteriorly positionedchamber 94 a, as shown in FIG. 13A and FIG. 12 (the chamber in FIG. 12is shown with the fill strip 3 inserted therein). Similarly, in all ofthe window fenestration embodiments, the window assembly may be,instead, positioned flush against the inner surface of the exteriorflange 50 b, 83 a, 84 a of the bottom stud, thereby creating only oneinteriorly positioned chamber 94 b. All of the chambers are capped witha finishing jamb 94, 95, as shown.

Once the window opening (or similarly, a door opening) is formed asdescribed above, the progression of inserting connecting studs 40 andshear wall sheets 60, 62 to each other within the underlying sill plate70 continues until another window opening or door opening is reached. Ifa door way is desired, connecting stud 50 is also used to frame out thetwo sides of the door jamb and top of the door opening, similar to themethod using studs 50 for framing out a window opening W, as discussedabove. Strips of wood, plastic, cementitious material, or nailablematerial may then be mechanically and/or adhesively secured to theinside door jamb to create nailing surfaces in order to conventionallyhang a door, as described in Inventor's Co-Pending Applications. Oncethe door is secured within the door opening, the exterior of the doorframe may be finished for esthetics.

Assembly of the exterior wall of the building, including the steps offraming out door and window openings, is continued as described aboveuntil an inside wall location is desired or the adjacent corner post isreached. For the creation of an inside wall section, a simple slot iscut out of the interior wall 74 of the sill plate 70, and a secondC-channel member 86 ¹ b is butted against the cut out section, therebyforming the sill plate for the interior wall within which the interiorwall sheets 64 are engaged (FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C). The C-channel sillplate 86 ¹ b is secured to the underlying foundation perpendicular tothe exterior sill plate 70 from which it extends. The front wall 74 ofthe exterior sill plate 70 accommodates the T-post 21, which is insertedand subsequently engaged within both sill plates 70, 86 ¹ b.

If desired, standard insulation may be used to fill the hollow spaces 95created between the interior and exterior shear wall sheets 60, 62 orthe hollow space 90 between the interior sheets 64 extending from theT-posts 21 forming the interior rooms of the building. If standardinsulation is not used, these hollow spaces may be filled with variousfill material for insulation or sound attenuation as described aboveafter which a top plate 86, 86 a (see FIGS. 8A-8C), such as a C-channeltop plate illustrated in the Inventor's Co-Pending Applications, isattached to the studs 40, 50 to seal the fill material therein anddistribute the live and dead loads from above. Once the C-channel topplate(s) 86 a are attached to the exterior perimeter wall of thebuilding thus constructed, truss mounts illustrated in the Inventor'sCo-Pending Applications, for example, or straps, may be secured to thebuilding, and straps may be added to locate and restrain trusses,rafters, or the roof structure.

Once the building structure is assembled as described above, theexterior of the building may be finished by applying decorative board88, brick, stucco, paint, stain, or any trowled-on surface material. Theinterior of the building may be finished as well with gypsum board 89,stucco, or any troweled-on surface material. Preferably, as shown inFIGS. 7, 8, and 10A, a space 2 is provided between the shear wall sheets60, 62 and the immediately adjacent exterior 88 and interior 89 sheets(FIGS. 7-8) as well as between shear wall sheets 60, 62 and theimmediately adjacent insulation I (FIG. 10A). Provision of this airspace 2 is a unique feature of the inventive design as it functions tochannel away any water from the wall which may have penetrated the roofor exterior finish, thus enabling the wall to dry itself out after arain or during high humidity conditions, thereby preventing damagecaused by moisture, such as mold, mildew, or rising damp, for example.

1. A window fenestration assembly suitable for integration into abuilding system, said window fenestration assembly comprising: a) a tophorizontal member and a bottom horizontal member each secured to a pairof vertical members; b) a window assembly comprising a window surroundedand encased by a frame; c) said horizontal and vertical memberscomprising a pair of interior and exterior flanges secured to oneanother by a central web portion, said web portion comprising a topsurface and a lower surface, said top surface, in combination with saidflanges, forming a female receptacle for said window frame; d) one ormore pads positioned upon said top surface of said web portion of saidbottom horizontal member and upon said pair of vertical members, saidwindow assembly positioned against said pads; e) at least one chamberformed between one of said flanges and said window frame along saidbottom horizontal member; f) at least one fill strip housed within saidat least one chamber; and g) a jamb secured over each of said at leastone chamber to enclosed said at least one fill strip therein.
 2. Thewindow fenestration assembly of claim 1, wherein said bottom horizontalmember further comprises a pair of intermediate flanges extendingdownward from said lower surface of said web portion and oriented withrespect to said interior and exterior flanges to create a pair ofinterior and exterior indentations, each of said indentations configuredto receive an underlying shear wall sheet therein.
 3. The windowfenestration assembly of claim 1, further including a quantity of loosefill material dispersed within gaps created between adjacent pads andbetween said window frame and said horizontal and vertical members ofsaid window fenestration assembly.
 4. A window fenestration assemblysuitable for integration into a building system, said windowfenestration assembly comprising: a) a top horizontal member and abottom horizontal member each secured to a pair of vertical members; b)an elongated female C-channel member secured to an upper surface of saidbottom horizontal member; c) said horizontal and vertical memberscomprising a pair of interior and exterior flanges secured to oneanother by a central web portion, said flanges and web portion, incombination, comprising a mating surface for said female C-channelmember; d) said C-channel member comprising a first upwardly extendingchannel and a second downwardly extending channel mating with said firstchannel; e) one or more pads positioned within said first channel ofsaid C-channel member and upon said pair of vertical members, saidwindow assembly positioned against the pads; f) a chamber createdbetween said upper surface and exterior flange of said bottom horizontalmember and said first channel of said C-channel member; and g) at leastone fill strip housed within said chambers.
 5. The window fenestrationassembly of claim 4, further including a quantity of loose fill materialdispersed within gaps created between adjacent pads and between saidwindow frame and said C-channel member, top horizontal member, andvertical members of said window fenestration assembly.
 6. A windowfenestration assembly suitable for integration into a building system,said window fenestration assembly comprising: a) a top horizontal memberand a bottom horizontal member each secured to a pair of verticalmembers; b) each of said horizontal and vertical members comprising apair of interior and exterior flanges secured to one another by acentral web portion to create an interior female receptacle and anexterior female receptacle; c) a window assembly comprising a windowsurrounded and encased by a frame, said window assembly engaged withinsaid interior female receptacle of said horizontal and vertical members;d) said vertical and horizontal members secured to edges of a solid wallforming an opening for said window fenestration assembly, wherein saidedges of said solid wall are engaged with the exterior femalereceptacles of said horizontal and vertical members; e) one or more padspositioned within said interior receptacles of said horizontal andvertical members, wherein said window assembly is positioned againstsaid pads; at least one chamber formed between one of said flanges andsaid window frame along said bottom horizontal member; g) at least onefill strip housed within said at least one chamber; and h) a jambsecured over each of said at least one chamber to enclosed said at leastone fill strip therein.
 7. The window fenestration assembly of claim 6,wherein said solid wall is selected from the group of solid pre-castconcrete slabs, hollow concrete blocks, structural insulated panels, andskeletal support walls.